Latest news with #JonathanConricus
News18
27-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
Israel ‘Succumbed To Global Pressure', Says Ex-IDF Spokesperson On Gaza Ops Pause
Last Updated: The IDF announced a daily "tactical pause" in parts of Gaza for humanitarian aid amid international pressure. Military operations continue elsewhere. After the Israel Defence Force on Sunday announced a 'tactical pause" in military operations in some parts of Gaza for humanitarian purposes, former IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus believed that this move indicates Israel has succumbed to international pressure. 'It tells us that Israel has succumbed to international pressure", Sky News quoted Conricus as saying. This comes after Israel began a daily 'tactical pause" in parts of the territory to allow humanitarian aid to flow more freely, under growing international pressure and rising concerns over famine in Gaza. 'The pause will begin in the areas where the IDF (Israeli military) is not operating: Al-Mawasi, Deir el-Balah, and Gaza City, every day until further notice," the IDF said in a statement on Telegram. The Israeli military said the pause in fighting would take place from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. local time each day in three densely populated areas. According to the military, the goal is to 'increase the scale of humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip." Israel strongly refuted claims that it is using starvation as a weapon of war, a charge levelled by some international critics as images of malnourished children in Gaza continue to circulate globally. It said the latest aid steps were made in coordination with the UN and other humanitarian agencies. The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed the pause in military operations, but emphasised that more action is needed to address Gaza's dire food crisis. With a third of the population going without food for days and approximately 500,000 people facing famine-like conditions, delivery remains a significant challenge despite having enough food stockpiled to support the entire population for nearly three months. Despite the pause, Israel's military operations continue in other areas. Palestinian health officials reported at least 27 people killed in separate Israeli strikes around the same time the pause began. The conflict began after Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel says it will only agree to a full ceasefire if Hamas surrenders, disarms, and goes into exile, terms the militant group has rejected. Ceasefire negotiations have hit a roadblock, with both Israel and the US withdrawing their negotiators last week. view comments First Published: July 27, 2025, 23:16 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Sky News AU
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
‘Alarming move': Liberal frontbenchers condemn Albanese government decision to sign letter calling for immediate end to Gaza conflict
Liberal frontbenchers have condemned the Albanese government's decision to sign a joint letter calling for the immediate end to the conflict in Gaza. Foreign Minister Penny Wong joined her counterparts from the UK, Canada, New Zealand and 22 other nations in releasing a joint statement calling for an 'immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire' to end the conflict. The letter takes aim at Israel over its handling of humanitarian aid deliveries, pointing out that 'over 800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid'. Former IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus told Sky News Australia that Hamas operatives were embedding themselves among civilians attempting to access aid. He said the terror group was 'trying to incite a situation, and create that instability and mayhem' in order to stop the provision of aid. Liberal frontbencher Jonathan Duniam said the decision to sign the letter was 'a rather alarming move by the government'. 'I think Jonathan Conricus rightly points out some of the things this letter and the government ignores around what Hamas is doing when it comes to the provision of aid to Gaza,' Senator Duniam said. 'This focus on what Israel is doing, and to a degree, turning a blind eye to how this conflict started, on October 7, those years, and the continued holding of hostages - I know it mentions that, but there is more to this issue than this letter portrays. 'And I think it is a sad turn of events for our government to have joined with other countries in signing this letter. I think that it is not the right approach for the I think that it is not the right approach for the government to have taken." Senator Duniam said it was important there was a de-escalation in the conflict and a return to peace, but insisted that Israel had a right to defend itself. 'What this letter basically is talking about (is) Israel down weapons and allow the people of Gaza to go about what they're doing,' he said. 'There's a conflict here, and Israel does have the right to self-defence, including when it's trying to provide aid to the civilians of Gaza.' Shadow foreign minister Michaelia Cash also condemned the decision. 'It is disappointing that once again the Albanese Government is supporting a statement attacking Israel,' she said on X Senator Cash said all moral outrage over the situation in Gaza 'should be directed at Hamas'. 'This war began because of Hamas's abhorrent attack on Israeli civilians,' the shadow foreign minister said. 'It is important that aid flows into Gaza. Proper quantities of food and other aid must be provided to the people of Gaza. However, the right system must be in place so that it can be distributed without Hamas intervening in the process.' But when Opposition Leader Sussan Ley was asked about the issue on Monday morning, the Liberal leader refused to go as far as her Coalition colleagues. 'The first and most important thing to say about this issue is that there are still hostages in Gaza. There are still hostages hidden in tunnels, and a way to end the situation is for those hostages to be released by the terrorists Hamas, who control so much of the activity there. 'Of course, we want to see aid reach those who deserve it, but it is so important that Hamas - that has control, often over the flow of that aid, but certainly over the ongoing completely unacceptable detention of those hostages - act in the interests of the people of Gaza."
Sky News AU
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Hamas now on the ‘media offensive' after attempting to create ‘false narrative'
Former IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus has spoken about Hamas attempting to reshape the narrative around the war in Gaza. Australia has joined 24 other nations - including the UK and France - in condemning Israel over the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians seeking aid. The statement accuses Israel of an 'unacceptable denial of humanitarian aid', adding the Israeli government's aid delivery model is 'dangerous and deprives Gazans of human dignity'. Mr Conricus told Sky News Australia Hamas is now on the 'media offensive'.
Sky News AU
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
‘Hamas media': Former IDF spokesperson accuses the West of falling for propaganda
Former IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus has weighed in on Australia joining calls for a ceasefire in Gaza. Australia has joined 24 other nations - including the UK and France - in condemning Israel over the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians seeking aid. The statement accuses Israel of an 'unacceptable denial of humanitarian aid', adding the Israeli government's aid delivery model is 'dangerous and deprives Gazans of human dignity'. 'I am saddened that so many Western governments are falling for Hamas propaganda,' Mr Conricus told Sky News Australia. 'It is Hamas media.'
Sky News
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Israeli soldiers 'psychologically broken' after 'confronting the reality' in Gaza, UN expert says
A UN expert has said some young soldiers in the Israeli Defence Forces are being left "psychologically broken" after "confront[ing] the reality among the rubble" when serving in Gaza. Francesca Albanese, the UN Human Rights Council's special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, was responding to a Sky News interview with an Israeli solider who described arbitrary killing of civilians in Gaza. She told The World with Yalda Hakim that "many" of the young people fighting in Gaza are "haunted by what they have seen, what they have done". "It doesn't make sense," Ms Albanese said. "This is not a war, this is an assault against civilians and this is producing a fracture in many of them. "As that soldier's testimony reveals, especially the youngest among the soldiers have been convinced this is a form of patriotism, of defending Israel and Israeli society against this opaque but very hard felt enemy, which is Hamas. "But the thing is that they've come to confront the reality among the rubble of Gaza." Being in Gaza is "probably this is the first time the Israeli soldiers are awakening to this," she added. "And they don't make sense of this because their attachment to being part of the IDF, which is embedded in their national ideology, is too strong. "This is why they are psychologically broken." Jonathan Conricus, a former IDF spokesman who is now a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, said he believes the Sky News interview with the former IDF solider "reflects one part of how ugly, difficult and horrible fighting in a densely populated, urban terrain is". "I think [the ex-soldier] is reflecting on how difficult it is to fight in such an area and what the challenges are on the battlefield," he said. 10:42 'An economy of genocide' Ms Albanese, one of dozens of independent UN-mandated experts, also said her most recent report for the human rights council has identified "an economy of genocide" in Israel. The system, she told Hakim, is made up of more than 60 private sector companies "that have become enmeshed in the economy of occupation […] that have Israel displace the Palestinians and replace them with settlers, settlements and infrastructure Israel runs." Israel has rejected allegations of genocide in Gaza, citing its right to defend itself after Hamas's attack on 7 October 2023. 2:36 The companies named in Ms Albanese's report are in, but not limited to, the financial sector, big tech and the military industry. "These companies can be held responsible for being directed linked to, or contributing, or causing human rights impacts," she said. "We're not talking of human rights violations, we are talking of crimes." "Some of the companies have engaged in good faith, others have not," Ms Albanese said. The companies she has named include American technology giant Palantir, which has issued a statement to Sky News. It said it is "not true" that Palantir "is the (or a) developer of the 'Gospel' - the AI-assisted targeting software allegedly used by the IDF in Gaza, and that we are involved with the 'Lavender' database used by the IDF for targeting cross-referencing". "Both capabilities are independent of and pre-ate Palantir's announced partnership with the Israeli Defence Ministry," the statement added.
